2012 International Experience

Please continue to watch this site as more announcements will be forthcoming.

The Class of 2012 will depart Atlanta on January 9, 2012 and return February 8, 2012.

Back in Pine Mountain

Thank you for your prayers. The entire group is back.

IMPACT 360

A Glimpse from Florianopolis

Ron Greenwich, the local missionary, Madison and I set out one morning to deliver hygiene kits.  We were delivering them to some sponsored kids in a neighborhood right outside Florianopolis.  We went to two houses and were able to pray with the kids and their families and have a good conversation.  We left the second house and were trying to find the next house on our list.  As we were walking down the street, a boy said, "Good morning!" from his porch.  His greeting caught our attention because he was speaking English.  We walked over to talk to him.  The boy's uncle came out of the house and we began to talk about who we were and why we were there.  We began talking about the US and how he has been to a couple different states.  Ron asked him if he had ever thought about God and he said, "Well I actually have thought about Him."   The uncle explained something he had dreamed….God was going to come down and save one person and with his breath, then kill everyone else on the earth.  He said, "I want to be that one person, but, I do not think I will.  You have told me that you are Christians so I want to know why you were chosen."  That opened a door for us to completely lay out the gospel. 

Ron shared a little bit about the gospel.  I shared with him John 3:16-21, Ephesians 2:8-9, and drew out a picture of how God and man are separated by sin and how Jesus on the cross bridged that gap.  Madison shared her story and explained how God had chosen her.  The Holy Spirit was definitely at work and speaking through us.   Near the end of the conversation, the uncle asked if he could pray to ask Jesus into His heart.  Ron was able to lead him through a prayer to accept Christ and it was awesome to watch.  We shared a couple verses with him to help him in his new journey.  We did not have a Bible with us but we were able to go back a couple days later and give him a Bible signed by the three of us with a personal note for him.   God is indeed good and He is good all the time.  We have loved seeing Him work in and through us and cannot wait to see what is still yet to come.

Hannah Grace Anderson

Planting and Reaping Seeds

Today our team was able to go to four different orphanages to deliver a freshly chopped up cow through the mission of Project 3C. This organization was able to provide this meat through part of our expenses in coming to Brazil. The last orphanage we went to was a Spiritist orphanage. The owners of the orphanage are Spiritists and they take the children to a Spiritist church. However, because of the partnership with Impact 360 in the previous years the owners are open to us as Christians talking to the kids about Jesus. Today Torey, Madison, Bruna and I were able to lead Natalia, a 16 year old orphan, to a relationship with Christ.

It all started out with a simple conversation; us struggling to speak what little Portuguese we know and Natalia trying to understand. We were able to understand a little bit about Natalia and where she was at in life. It did not take long for to engage in a conversation about her belief in Spiritism. She explained what she believed and what Spiritism actually was. She was very open to questions about her belief our opinions on it. All the way through we were drenching her with our prayers. After we were engaged in her world she was willing to listen to what we believed about Christ and eventually our personal testimonies. God willing, we were able to share the Gospel and peace that she could have through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As we spoke of the love, hope, and peace that the Lord has given us God took hold of her heart. Her eyes were locked on our translator, Bruna, and slowly filling with tears. At the end of our stories she wanted to tell us hers; about how she ended up in the orphanages and her struggles there from. After we asked her if she wanted the peace we had and she did. We asked to pray the sinner’s prayer with her and she accepted. I was able to lead her in that prayer to accept the Lord and her little sister was there to witness it all.

Later her younger sister explained how the missionaries from Impact 360, last year led her to a relationship with Christ. Through the planting of seeds of last year’s class we were able to continue their ministry and further God’s Kingdom. It was the most invigorating experience in my life.

By: Brittany Dempsay and Torey Mayfield

Serving others, pointing them to Christ

Team Porto Alegre has finished up a very busy week helping the Word of Life camp put on a teen camp for 150 high school students. IMPACT 360 students worked along side Brazilian counselors and staff to host an impactful experience for everyone.

Many IMPACT 360 students shared their testimonies, led worship or in some cases helped empty trash and clean bathrooms. Listen to Rachael Krouse as she connects serving to her mission experience.




Thomas Schneider is the director and overseas the ten full time missionary families who make the summer camps and many more programs possible. Thank you Thomas, we were blessed by working with you this year. May God continue to use you and your team as you serve in Porto Alegre.

Greetings from Ron & Alana - Team Florianopolis

Team Florianopolis is finishing up a very busy week. Here's Ron and Alana, Southern Baptist missionaries, offering a word of encouragement to our students.




Thank you for an amazing week Ron and Alana. May God continue to use you in might ways as you meet the physical and spiritual needs of those in Florianopolis.

Camp!

Camp Begins

Camp has officially started! It has a been a great time so far. Church camp for me has always been something I look forward to all year and being able to staff one is such a privilege. I am in a room with nine other sixteen and seventeen year old girls that speak absolutely no english. It has been quite a stretch for many of us because of the language barrier but the Lord is helping us all to overcome it. Last night I was granted the opportunity to preach during the night service. All of us Impact students led the service last night. Serenity gave her testimony and danced, then I preached. I was very nervous because I have never given a sermon before, but the Lord put on my heart what He wanted me to say.

When I was told I was going to preach I sought the lord on what He wanted me to say. I asked one of the staff members at the camp if most of the campers are Christians and she said that they say they are but they do not live it out in their everyday lives. Taking that information the Lord led me to the passage James 1:19-24. The passage talks about do not be the person that looks in the mirror then turns away and forgets what the Lord has taught them. The passage also talks about not just reading the Word but putting it into action. I challenged the students to have the Word planted in their hearts so they will not forget it. I was so thankful that I got the opportunity to preach, the Lord really grew me through the experience. I never thought I could prepare and preach a whole sermon but the Lord will give you what you need when He calls you.
It has been a great experience here and I really believe the Holy Spirit is alive and well in this place! Thank you for all your prayers and I hope this gives you a little insight on how the Lord is working in Porto Alegre. He is doing great things in this city and there is more to come!

God bless,
Torey Mayfield

An Unexpected Opportunity in Florianopolis

On Tuesday our team visited a favela in the outskirts of Florianopolis to deliver some medicals kits to families. This lead to an unexpected opportunity for Hannah Grace and Madison Cothran.

See the video. Below...

Brazilian Home Stays

Last week we had the privilege of staying in two separate host homes. Some people had families that did speak English, others did not. Some stayed in pairs while others stayed solo.

While we were in Novo Hamburgo I was one of the few who stayed in a non-English speaking family by myself. At first I was a little hesitant about the situation, but it turned out to be a great experience. I was able to communicate somewhat through an English/Portuguese dictionary, and I was also able to rely a lot on God. The couple was so sweet, and at the end of the stay the woman made me a dress, shirt, and skirt on her sewing machine.

In the next house I had a totally different experience. In Caixas do Sol I stayed in a home with Lindsey and Karen. We stayed in a home with a couple and their fifteen-year-old son who speaks English. It was great to be able to have a conversation I understood completely with a Brazilian family. They treated us like royalty! It was so much fun. The son of the family even decided to come to the camp we are staffing at this week!

During both stays we led a church service each night. During the day we either led a children's program or did door-to-door evangelism. While in Caixas we also led a service at a juvenile detention center. During the programs we typically sang songs in both English and Portuguese, performed a skit, and shared testimonies. During the children's programs we also did Bible skits, played games and did arts and crafts. At one children's program we went to a daycare run by the church. At this daycare I was able to use the little bit of Portuguese I knew from my first year in Brazil to play a game with a few kids. I alternated between saying mouth, stomach, nose, hand, and foot in Portuguese, and they would point to which body part I said. They loved the game and so did I!

It was a very unique experience we were able to have staying in Brazilian homes for six nights in a row. It was definitely an unforgettable experience!

Thank you for your support. Please continue to pray as we begin staffing at a church camp here in Porto Alegre. Thank you!

Lorrie Anne White

God of this City

Today is the second day of teen camp at Palavra da Vida Sul (Word of Life Camp) here in Porto Alegre. Before the campers arrived yesterday our team was divided into different work groups. We are working along side the Brazilian volunteer staff doing jobs like coordinating events, working in the snack shop, serving meals and cleaning bathrooms. It is just like an American summer camp in that there are lots of people, energy, heat and little rest.

But even in the first two days I can already see how blessed we are going to be by this week. The missionaries and volunteers are so kind and welcoming and I have learned much just by watching them. I do not think the relationships we are building here will be easily forgotten. Tonight and tomorrow night our group will be leading services for the campers. And each morning, one or two of us will share our testimony. Please be in prayer for those speaking and sharing the gospel.

We are getting in lots of Portuguese practice, as all of us are rooming individually with campers and counselors, and not many speak English. It always amazes me to see the body of Christ in another culture. We have a bond that transcends all language barriers, there is nothing quite like it. Last night, Matt and I led the camp in worship with "God of this City" from the stage I could hear some singing in English and some singing in. Portuguese. It gave a whole new meaning to the lyrics which say,

"You're the God of this city. You're the King of these people. You're the Lord of this nation. You Are."

He is certainly showing us this to be true. He is Lord of this and every nation. I know God is using this trip to grow me tremendously and I can see He is growing all of us. It is humbling. We are privileged to be here. Thank you for your prayers. Continue to lift up our team and our leaders. We look forward to sharing with you all that God has done.

Carol Anne Ausband

Word of Life Camp

Daycare!

Rooftop in Caixas

Caixias/Novo Hamburgo

Reflections

Back to reality. I woke up this morning in my own bed rested, refreshed…and with a big case of post-Brazil blues. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to serve alongside the students for the past two weeks.

This trip was a reminder for me of why we as staff do what we do at IMPACT 360. It is incredible to watch each student use his/her unique story to share the saving power of Christ. One of the most powerful demonstrations of this was when the students shared their “cardboard testimonies” in a night service the first Saturday. Each student held up a piece of cardboard that had a phrase or words that describe what life was like before they followed Christ. They then flipped over the cardboard to show a phrase that describes their life after surrendering to Christ. I heard from locals that this was the most moving part of the service, but for us that know and love these students, it was hard to hold it together! Christ is very much alive and gives hope and purpose to those that follow Him.

While serving at the orphanage, Team Brasilia was a great example of the body of Christ. I was so impressed that there was little to no complaining or arguing among the students – this was a huge testimony to those watching and working alongside them. They were living Philippians 2:14-16:

14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Here are some specific ways that you can pray for the teams as they hit the mid-point of the month-long trip:

-Energy and strength as they keep pushing ahead
-Patience and flexibility with a much more laid back culture
-Health and protection
-Boldness in sharing Christ
-Team unity

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. They are felt and appreciated!

In Christ,
Katy

More pics from last week:

On the radio on

This may be a bit unorthodox to start a blog with, but I would like to start by sharing a bit about my team, which is stationed in Florianoplis right now. A great friend of mine has been teaching me recently the dynamic of a team working together. He showed me the example of how cyclists work together in a race as team to cut to the front of the pack, encourage one another, and provide support for their leaders. Welcome to our team.

The Lord brought us all together as team to bring glory to his name. With different experiences, gifts, and background, we have been woven together into a tight rope? not easily broken. Together, we pray for the Lord to utilize us in His divine plan, and that through everything we do, glory and honor may be given to His name through worship, skits, testimonies, and anything else we are called to do. (Allow me to say adaptability is quite a word). Recently, we've seen this example of synergy come to life.

On Sunday, our team broke into three teams in order to reach out into the community. Paul and Hannah Grace diligently devoted themselves to reaching out to the youth here by playing sports. Another part of our team was assigned to reach out into the local community and invite people to the church. The third group was assigned to go and speak at a nearby radio station. (This group consisted of: David, Ashley, Nikki, Madison, Mrs. Greenwich, and myself).

All of us went together to the station where we met up
with a member of the Baptist church here named Eduardo. The program immediately began with him speaking rapid river of Portuguese? fantastically eloquent, may I say. We were all asked questions such as the following: why are you in Brazil, what do you hope to accomplish, what do you like about Brazil. This conversation soon led into our own personal testimonies. Starting with Nikki, each person quickly shared how the Lord wonderfully brought us to Him and how he is working in our lives. Every word was saturated with a passionate love for the Lord and the gospel. They were able to bless many people. I was asked afterwards to share several words from the Bible. The Lord led me to John and the story about the Samaritan woman. No matter where we go in our lives, people are the same in certain aspects: we constantly try to quench a thirst. We hope that through what we have a chance to share here in Brazil that we would show how His love quenches all. He is what gives us strength.

Several minutes after the interview, we all met up with the rest of the team. Remember that example, I used at the beginning about the team working to together to succeed in the name of the Lord. Well, praises be to His name. We came back and celebrated that the Lord allowed us to share His love by forming new friendships with young Brazilians, by inviting the local community to the church service that night, and by reaching Brazilians throughout Florianoplis with our stories through the radio.

I'm excited to see what else the Lord has planned while we're hear, and prayer is greatly appreciated. Continue praying for our brothers and sisters in Porto Alegre also. All of us hear miss them and await to hear about their experience. Praises be to our heavenly Father.

Daniel Poeana
IMPACT 360 student

Update from team Brasilia / Florianopolis

   For the past week the Brasilia team, as many of you know, have been working in an orphanage in Brasilia. We did some work on a house in the orphanage, mostly painting and things like that. At the end of each day, we had the opportunity to play with the kids, which was truly a blessing each and every day. The joy the kids got from a game of soccer or volleyball was fun for all of us. For me though, the best part of last week came on our last day at the orphanage.

  
   On our last day at the orphanage, our team put together a short program for the children. We sang songs, performed skits, and acted out Bible stories. The kids were incredibly engaged and seemed to love every minute of it. However, I have to say that the true blessing came after our short program was over. As many of you know, flying kites is a big form of recreation here in Brazil. At any point you can look up and possibly see a kite in the air. At the end of the day on our last day at the orphanage the kids were incredibly excited to see that we had gotten each and every one of them their own kite. It was so awesome to see the kids running around on the grass with their kites in the air. It was also really great to see how well the kids responded to the Bible stories and things like that. God has done some great things in that orphanage, and we know that He will continue to.

   We are now in the beautiful beach city of Florianopolis. Tonight we are off to lead a church service. We are excited to see what God will do in this city, because He did so much in Brasilia. I would personally like to thank each and every one of you for your prayer support thus far. We greatly appreciate and we love every one of you. I know that this has been probably a million times on the blog, but Brazil is beautiful. We know that God has big plans for this country, and we're excited to see them unfold. We love you all, and we'll see you soon.

Vai Com Deus,
Mitchell Aldridge

if you love Me...

For the past few months one of my prayers has been that the Holy Spirit would not be quiet, but active within me. This past Wednesday, I was sitting outside the church we were leading a service at that night when Danae walked up. We started talking about what the Lord has recently been teaching us. She told me that she asked the Lord to show her new ways to love Him and He answered by showing her John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.”

About an hour later, I was sitting in the second row in the sanctuary listening to some portuguese worship songs. Since I did not know the words to sing along, I began praying. My heart started pounding, I got very emotional and I knew that God was telling me to be ready. I asked Him what was about to happen and He answered with this question: “Do you love Me , Katelyn?”

Mary Michael asked me no more than five minutes later if I would be willing to speak in someone’s place. “We prayed about it and he is not supposed to share tonight, but we think that you are.” I told her that I thought I was supposed to as well.

The service had already started, I had no idea where I had left my Bible and notebook, but the Lord wanted me to speak anyway. I didn’t prepare anything and I don’t really remember what I said. I know I shared part of my testimony, but that’s about it.

Towards the end of the service, I felt the Lord instructing me to stand in the back during the invitation. I wasn’t sure why, but I knew I was supposed to be there for people to come talk to me and if I didn’t go, I was deliberately disobeying. I grabbed Tim, one of our translators and told him to come with me to the back. I am not sure if the Pastor announced that I was back there or not, but it was crazy how fast people began to come up to me. I think I prayed with at least ten people, no breaks or pauses in between. I prayed for many different situations. One lady asked me to pray for her husband who is not a Christian. One man used to be a drug dealer. He had been clean for a year, but was still fighting temptation. Two girls were about to go home to difficult family situations. Hearing these stories was so humbling, and I think I was just as rewarded as they were to be able to pray with these people.

Brazil is absolutely beautiful, but I think the people I met that night are even more so. They really are a light to this dark country. I am so glad that I was able to see that. I definitely would have regretted it if I hadn't obeyed.

"if you love Me, you will obey my commands..."

In Him,

Katelyn Meeks

Group arrived in Florianopolis

Our time in Brasilia was wonderful. We concluded our time with a very special cookout at one of the translator's home. Very special.

Today we traveled to Florianopolis to work with the Ron and Alana Greenwich. Its been very rainy here, lots of activities planned for outdoors. Please join us in praying for sunshine.

Pictures to follow soon. We are thankful for your prayers.

Team Brasilia / Florianopolis

Befriending Orphans in Cidade Ocidental

Children of God

I have had the amazing opportunity to spend the last three days in an orphanage in a small town outside of Brasilia. Yesterday, I sat under a large tree blowing bubbles and taking pictures with the smaller children, while watching a few of the older boys play soccer.  As I was sitting under the tree I heard a small whistle, and to my surprise found a little boy in the very top of the tree swinging from the branch. He had beautiful skin, green eyes, and that mischievous smile all little boys get. After he got my attention he hopped down from the tree, wanted his picture taken and before I could even look back up, he was back in the top of the tree. After about four rounds of coming down the tree, taking his picture, and then disappearing back in the tree, I heard the tree branch snap. Before I could even stand up this small little boy had fallen face first on the hard ground in front of my feet. I picked the little boy off of the ground and while I ran holding him in my arms, him and me both were sobbing. Later, I was told that the little boy luckily only hurt his nose and had a few bruises on his arms but had not been hurt any worse.  Today, we were back at the orphanage, and the little boy who had fallen from the tree was back in full force. Like nothing had happened, he was running around playing soccer, smiling, laughing, and he was back in his tree. These past few days in the orphanage have really opened my eyes to not only seeing how blessed I am but it has also allowed me to see what its like to be a small child again. I was reminded of the scripture Luke 18:16-17, Jesus says, " Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." My hope for the rest of my time in Brazil is that I am teachable, care- free, and joyful like the little children I have spent the past week with. I hope that I allow the Lord to teach me more about the Brazilian people, and that I will learn more and more about his word and his will. I hope that I am care- free in our Lord, allowing him to have full control over my thoughts and actions, and that I will fully trust him to guide my future. I hope that I am joyful like a little child, joyful because I am a child of Jesus Christ. I pray that we all have the opportunity to share our joy in the Lord and I pray that those who we come in contact with will receive the kingdom of God like a little child.

-Abby Gifford

Walking by the Holy Spirit

Bom Dia!

It has been a hectic week for Team Porto Alegre. We left Brasila on Monday, January 17th, bright and early, with many feeling sick. God truly was with our entire team, and the flight was on-time (the past two years the same one has been cancelled), and no one got sick on the 2 1/2 hour flight to Porto Alegre. When we landed, we had anticipated a three hour bus ride up through the mountains to the small town of Caixas. However, we were informed upon arrival that we actually would go straight on to the Word of Life camp for a much needed day of rest. Just in those few short hours, it quickly became apparent that the Lord had gone before us.

On Tuesday we traveled to the nearby town of Novo Hamburgo to divide up into small groups and go to Brazilian homes for several days. The church had already divided us up amongst the congregation. Myself and Weston have the privilige of staying with a Brazilian family who have served as missionaries in central China for twelve years. It is incredible to see their love and passion for Jesus Christ.

Yesterday, we rode for nearly an hour up dirt roads to a small village in the mountains, that several years ago, the police were afraid to enter. We spent the afternoon in a daycare, which was a stretching experience for a lot of us.

The evening concluded with a service in the local church. Before the service began, Mary Michael told us she had felt as if the Lord were telling her that we as a group needed to have a day dedicated to prayer and truly walking by the Holy Spirit. She felt that day was Thursday (the next day). After the service began, it quickly became apparent the Spirit had decided to come early. By the end of the 2 1/2 hour service, we were all quite literally speechless. There is a lot more that could be said, but I think it is best to save those stories until we return to the States.

Continue to pray for our team. Tomorrow we will make the three hour journey up through the mountains to Caixas, and today in particular, we are striving to walk by the Holy Spirit and spend the day in prayer for the service we are leading this evening.

Our team mantra has become Choose Joy, even when we are placed in uncomfortable situations. I hope and pray that you too choose joy today. Thank you for your prayers and support.

In Christ,

JohnMark Conklin

Snapshots around Brasilia